Brexit deal: Theresa May defends EU agreement in press conference after flurry of cabinet resignations

Esther McVey, who was appointed as work and pensions secretary earlier this year in May's reshuffle, cited concerns over the future of the Union and the lack of control over money, law, borders and trade policy under a deal she felt kept the UK too close to Brussels. 

McVey lost her seat at the 2015 general election (and with it her position as pensions ministers) but made a comeback at the 2017 snap vote, after being elected to George Osborne's former parliamentary seat of Tatton. 

Posting her resignation letter on Twitter - an hour after the Brexit secretary Dominic Raab - McVey wrote: "The British people have always been ahead of politicians on this issue, and it will be no good trying to pretend to them that this deal honours the result of the referendum when it is obvious to everyone that it doesn't.

"We have gone from no deal is better than a bad deal, to any deal is better than no deal. I cannot defend this, and I cannot vote for this deal. I could not look my constituents in the eye were I to do that.

"I therefore have no alternative but to resign from the government."

Reports - junior Brexit minister Suella Braverman has resigned from the Department for Exiting the European Union. She is the fourth minister to resign today.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan a PPS in the Department for Education (a ministerial role) - has just announced she has quit the government. Here is her letter, posted on her Twitter account.

Labour leaver Graham Stringer says he won't vote for Theresa May's deal. Parliamentary arithmetic looking impossible for the PM now.

Dominic Raab’s resignation was the big hit the Brexiteers needed to get the resignations moving this morning, writes political editor Joe Watts.

He was in part an architect of the draft withdrawal deal and is the second Brexit secretary for Theresa May to have lost, so his departure really hurt and made people look.

If Esther McVey, known to have been a major critic of the deal, had gone first it would have seemed far less a problem for the PM.

But now the dam is cracked we should expect to see a series of more expected and/or smaller resignations.

International development secretary Penny Mordaunt and commons leader Andrea Leadsom are most expected from the cabinet.

Shailesh Vara, Suella Braverman and Anne-Marie Trevelyan have kept a steady flow from junior ministerial ranks.

There will be advisors in Downing Street who believe the PM can ride this out, but if another big fish goes she will be in real trouble.

Home secretary Sajid Javid, environment secretary Michael Gove and foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt are the ones that will bring the house down if they choose to go. Watch this space.

Theresa May is now in the chamber, she says the the declaration puts us close to a Brexit deal. "What we agreed yesterday is not the final deal, it is a draft treaty," she says, outlining her "smooth and orderly" plan - to laughter from MPs in the Commons. 

"It takes back control of our border, laws and money - and it delivers in ways many said could not be done." 

She says it sets out how the UK will leave the EU in March 2019, the position on the rights of EU nations, and the implementation (transition period).

The PM says there will be an option for a single, time-limited extension of the transition period - in order to avoid the implementation of the Northern Ireland insurance policy (referred to as the "backstop"). 

She says the withdrawal treaty makes clear the "backstop" will be temporary and all endeavours will be made to make sure it is never used.

"The Brexit talks are about acting in the national interests - and that is about making the right choices, not the easy ones."

May says the declaration will end free movement "once and for all", instead a new skills-based immigration will be implemented. 

"The UK will become an independent costal state once again," she says, outlining plans to leave the blocs Common Fisheries Policy - at the end of the transition period. 

"When I first became PM in 2016 there was no ready made blueprint for Brexit - I've been committed day and night to delivering Brexit. 

"But I've also said withdrawing from the EU after 40 years... would be complex and hardwork... a Brexit that is in the national interest is possible.

"Once a final deal is agreed I will bring it to Parliament and ask MPs to give it backing."

'The choice is clear: we can leave with no deal, risking no Brexit at all," she says. "Or we can chose to unite and negotiate the best possible deal"

"I chose to deliver for the British people," she says - concluding her statement.